Folding table with paired legs



1949- F. P. [SHERWOOD ET AL 2,478,271

FOLDING TABLE WITH PAIRED LEGS Filed July 16, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1--01) enters TPI l'LeI wood/ 2 J I c1 0 ab F. P. [SHERWOOD ET AL2,478,271

FOLDING TABLE WITH PAIRED LEGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 16, 1946llzdv 911/270196 FPIshe-p wOodJ Patented Aug. 9, 1949 FOLDENG TABLE WITHPAIRED LEGS Francis Peter Isherwood and John Wightman Ecroyd, Millbrook,Stalybridge, England, assignors to Woodroyd Tools Limited, Millbrook,Stalybridge, England, a British company Application July 16, 1946,Serial No. 683,936

In Great Britain July 25, 1945 This invention relates to trays as usedfor domestic and like services and has for its object to provide asimple and readily manipulated construction and arrangement of parts bywhich the tray can be converted into a table when it has been carried tothe position where it is required for use.

A tray in accordance with our invention has a pair of brackets securedupon its underside at each of two ends, such brackets projecting beyondthe ends and in each pair of brackets is mounted the centre portion of aU leg construction, the two U legs being capable of being folded againstthe underside of the tray when the latter is being carried about or isplaced upon a support, means being provided for locking the U legs ineither position.

According to a further feature of the invention, there is attached tothe part of each U leg which comes between the pair of brackets, an armconnected by a link to a rod sliding in guides secured to the undersideof the tray, the said rod being notched to engage a locking rib when theU is folded beneath the tray and. also when it is projecting verticallydownwards from the tray to form two legs to convert the tray into atable.

With our improvement a tray is readily converted into a table withoutremoving the hands from the grips by which the tray is carried. Likewisethe table is reconverted to a tray when the grips are held for thepurpose of carrying the tray where desired.

The ends of the tray where the grips come may be cut out or recessed tolimit the protrusion of the grips from the tray by accommodating theprojecting ends of the rods which serve to lock the tray legs folded orextended.

Referring to the accompanying explanatory drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device in accordance with theinvention.

Figure 2 is a view of the under side of the device.

Figure 3 is a side elevation.

The tray a has brackets b secured to its under side at each end andmounted rotatably in the brackets are U-shaped members 0, d forminglegs. The legs are shown in position to support the tray, and Figure 2shows in broken lines the position in which they lie against theunderside of the tray when it is being carried about. Each U-member c, dhas between the brackets b a tubular sleeve e which serves as a grip forcarrying the tray, and also for turning the legs from one position tothe other. The sleeves e carry arms j, g which are connected by links h,i to rods 9, k sliding in guides 4 Claims. (Cl. 31185) l secured to theunderside of the tray. The rod 7' has notches m, it near its ends, andthe rod is has similar notches 0, p.

When the legs are in the extended position the notches m and p engagewith locking ribs q and 1" respectively, and their bevelled ends projectbeyond the ends of the tray. A slight downward pressure on the ends ofthe rods releases the notches m, p from the ribs q, r and enables thegrips e to be turned to move the legs into the folded position. The rods10 then take up the positions shown in broken lines in Figure 2, and.the notches n, o engage with the locking ribs 1*, q respectively. Inthis way the legs are locked in each position, but can be easilyreleased by pressure on the ends of the rods, which are placed so as tobe within easy reach of the thumbs when the sleeves c are held in thehands.

What we claim is:

1. A tray for domestic and like services, comprising a top, bracketssecured to the top at each of two ends, two rods rotatably mounted inthe brackets, one rod at each end of the tray, legs rigidly connectedwith the rods at right angles thereto, and adapted to extend at rightangles to the top and to be swung to lie against the underside of thetop by rotating the rods, guides on the underside of the top, two barsmounted in the guides so as to be slidable in a direction at rightangles to the rods, each bar being notched near each end and each barbeing of a length greater than half the length of the top, an arm oneach rod extending at right angles thereto approximately parallel to thelegs, two links, each pivoted to the end of one arm and pivotallyattached to one of the bars so as to slide the bar when the rod isrotated, each bar being arranged so that in the position of the rod inwhich the legs extend at right angles to the top, one of the ends of thebar projects beyond one end of the top, and in the position of the rodin which the legs lie against the underside of the top, the other end ofthe bar projects beyond the other end of the top, and locking ribs onthe underside of the top for engaging the notches of the bars in theextreme positions thereof.

2. A tray as claimed in claim 1, in which the rods are formed with gripportions for carrying the tray and for turning the legs from oneposition to the other.

3. A tray as claimed in claim 2, in which the projecting ends of thebars come adjacent to the grip portions of the rods and can be depressedto release them from the locking ribs to enable the legs to be turnedfrom one position to the other.

4. A tray for domestic and like services, comprising a top, bracketssecured to the top at each of two ends, two rods rotatably mounted inthe brackets, one rod at each end of the tray, legs rigidly connectedwith the rods at right angles thereto, and adapted to extend at rightangles to the top and to be swung to lie against the underside of thetop by rotating the rods, guides on the underside of the top, two barsmounted in the guides so as to be slidable in a direction at rightangles to the rods, each bar being notched near each end, an arm on eachrod extending at right angles thereto approximately parallel to thelegs, two links, each pivoted to the end or one arm and pivotallyattached to one of the bars so as to slide the bar when the rod isrotated, each bar being arranged so that in the position of the rod inwhich the legs extend at right angles to the top, 20

one of the ends of the bar projects beyond one end of the top, and inthe position of the rod in which the legs lie against the underside ofthe top, the other end of the bar projects beyond the other end of thetop, and locking ribs on the underside of the top for engaging thenotches of the bars in the extreme positions thereof.

FRANCIS PETER ISHERWOOD. JOHN WIGHTMAN ECROYD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,583,999 Scheibe et a1 May 11,1926 intone; Conrad Aug. 30, 1927 1,859,588 Kehrer May 24, 1932 2,223,08 Howe i--- NO 26, 1, 5

